'Crippling' And 'Paralyzing': Southern Storm Is Wicked

Not a good day for a drive: A Georgia Department of Transportation sign warned motorists in Norcross Wednesday morning, and few were on the roads.

John AmisAP

Originally published on February 12, 2014 2:24 pm

(Click here to jump to a quick look at the latest news about the storm.)

As a wicked storm of ice and snow spreads over parts of Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas and heads toward the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, the National Weather Service is again warning that it's getting ugly out there. Its forecasters say the millions of people in the storm's path should be prepared to stay inside and cope with power outages that might last for days.

Commuters in North Carolina who had hoped to avoid the storm's ice and snow didn't get enough of a jump on the storm, which brought heavy snow just after noon Wednesday. Some drivers are abandoning their cars after hours of delays — leaving them in roadways and adding to the slowdown.

The number of people who lack electricity rose steadily today; as of 7 p.m. ET, South Carolina officials said around 230,000 customers don't have power. Hundreds of thousands of others are in the same situation, from Texas across to the East Coast.

"The potentially devastating winter storm that forecasters and the governor have been warning about for days began unfolding before daybreak Wednesday as temperatures dropped to 32 degrees or below and began freezing the precipitation that returned overnight.

"It's being called catastrophic and historic, and those aren't words tossed around lightly, according to meteorologist Brad Nitz with Channel 2 Action News."

In Columbia, S.C.,The State reports that the weather system "is expected to slap enough ice on trees and power lines to be considered a major ice storm."

North Carolina'sRaleigh News & Observer writes that "the National Weather Service warned that a 'potentially crippling' storm will hit the Triangle with 2 to 4 inches of snow and sleet mixed with freezing rain that could add a layer of ice as thick as one-half inch."

Since there's talk of power outages, this is a good time to remind everyone to be very careful about generators and other alternative sources of power or heat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reposted its warnings about carbon monoxide poisoning.